DAR ES SALAAM will host a stellar line up of participants active in Africa’s off grid energy space, to discuss opportunities for project partnerships at the Africa Energy Forum: Off the Grid conference which takes off tomorrow.
The conference comes to Dar es Salaam
following a high interest in off grid ventures and technologies at this
year’s Africa Energy Forum in London, as well as in-depth study of over
100 local community commissioners from across Kenya and Tanzania.
According to EnergyNet’s Managing
Director, Simon Gosling, small scale renewable investors are already
penetrating these markets in a far more dynamic and profitable way than
ever before.
Involvement of companies such as Solar
Turtle, PowerHive, Off- Grid Energy, Genesis Energy, M-Kopa,
ShakeYourPower, Airon, Off Grid Electric and Zoetic Global is growing
daily.
“It is our responsibility to provide a
platform that hastens the pace that these technologies can get to
market.” he said in a statement.
The decision to host the key meeting in
Tanzania has partly been supported by World Bank's recent approval of
209 million US dollar to finance implementation of a Rural
Electrification Expansion Programme, he said.
Officially supported by UN OHRILL
(United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least
Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island
Developing States), the 1st Africa Energy Forum- Off the Grid is
expected to bring over 200 investors, facilitators, off-grid developers.
Key participants would include
pan-African rural electrification agencies, electricity regulators,
philanthropic business foundations, banks, regulatory bodies,
multilateral organisations and off grid businesses, he said adding they
would discuss topical issues concerning rolling out off-grid projects
across sub- Saharan Africa.
Among confirmed companies are General
Electric, Frontier Investment Management, Standard Bank, Aecom, Africa
Grant Advisors, BBOXX, Copperbelt Energy Corporation, and Virgin Unite.
Others are Shell Foundation, Rural
Electrification Agency, Uganda, Azuri Technologies, Africa Finance
Corporation, DFID, EDFIMC, Fluidic Energy, Off-Grid Electric, M-KOPA,
Power Hive, Rex Energy, SIDI, Tetra Tech, Tanzania Invest, World Bank,
he said.
Such a pyramid approach to fast track
community relationship- building will mean no longer just talking about
getting the energy to market, but actively meeting the people with the
ability to galvanise communities around your product.
According to Benjamin Hay, the Strategy
& Investment Director at Virgin Unite, “with the sustainable
development goals hoping to deliver affordable, reliable and clean
energy for all by 2030, the Off the Grid provides a wonderful platform
to build partnerships with individuals and organisations who want to
help achieve this ambition
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